Broadcom Crystal HD chip adds HD playback to Intel Atom N450 netbooks

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its Crystal HD technology will be available to OEMs wanting to deliver best-in-class video playback on the new Intel® Atom™ processor platform for netbooks. The Broadcom® BCM70015 Crystal HD solution will be offered as an option for OEMs designing netbooks using the Intel Atom processor N450 and Intel NM10 Express chipset platform. Crystal HD technology provides netbook users with a rich multimedia experience by enabling cost effective, quality playback of multi-format, high definition (HD) video and will be featured on select 2010 netbook platforms from top-tier OEMs including Asus, Dell and Samsung.

Highlights/Key Facts:

Broadcom Crystal HD technology (based on the Broadcom BCM70015 single-chip HD video decoder) will be offered as an option for OEMs designing netbooks based on the new Intel Atom processor platform.

The BCM70015 Crystal HD chip provides manufacturers with a low power, low cost solution that addresses one of the key performance challenges of netbook platforms: cost effective and quality playback of streaming HD video.

Broadcom Crystal HD technology leverages the company's widely deployed and field proven HD set-top box and consumer media player technologies to provide high quality video playback of multi-format (H.264/AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV9, MPEG-4, DivX®, Xvid and AVS) standard and high definition content for netbooks, enabling users to enjoy a mobile media experience with no frame drops or jitter. Broadcom Crystal HD technology:

Provides one of the industry's best low power, HD video playback experiences on low cost netbooks.

Provides software support for Adobe® Flash® Player (v10.1), Windows Media® Player (v12), as well as support for other third-party media players including both commercial and open source.

The Intel Atom processor N450, Intel NM10 Express chipset (formerly known as Pine Trail) is the next generation processor platform for netbooks and the entry-level desktop segment. This new two-chip platform integrates graphics and a memory controller onto the CPU, enabling lower power consumption, improved performance, and smaller, more compact designs in next generation netbooks and entry-level desktop PCs.